Rod and Staff English 7...

[Kel & the Kids]

If you've used R&S English 7 can you tell me why we should use it next year? :)

 

My dd has done grades 3,5, and is working on 6 this year.  I'm not sure what to do for Grammar next year, if we need a change or what.  We're finding grade 6 pretty thick!  I have the grade 7 text and it looks a bit lighter to me but I don't know.  Are there great benefits we'll miss out on if we do Fix It or something else? 

 

Thanks in advance if you have any thoughts! 

[lots-o-rice]

Well, I am just finishing RS7 with ds#2.  To be honest, if your kid gets it, I'd move on.  If you think your kid  understands basic grammar and punctuation, I would just do Fix-it.

I think RS7 is just more of the same as RS6.  I have used RS for all my kids up through grade 7.  For us, it really isn't sticking well and transferring to daily writing assignments.   I have now figured out that my goal for grammar is that the kids can effectively proof-read their own writing.  I think my kids need the basic structural stuff from RS, but then we need straightforward practice using the information in real-life situations.  Most standardized tests really just want proofreading, not identifying independent clauses.  Just my opinion, right now, anyway.  

I have decided to do RS through 5th grade with ds#3 and then do more practicing and maybe Easy Grammar/Daily Grams. 

My oldest has done 2 years of Fix-it, and next year ds2 will start.  I have really like it.  It is great for real-life situations of using grammar.  Any time there is something ds is consistently not getting, I can find some extra instruction ideas on the internet, or just go back to that subject in an old RS book and do a few oral lessons.  

Again, this is just my experience.  I know a lot of people have great experience with all levels of RS.  

Good luck :)

K

[Kel & the Kids]

Thanks so much! That was so helpful!

 

I wanted the grammar largely to help with learning other languages as well as for writing, I'm thinking we've accomplished enough for that. Fix It looks like a refreshing option.

[Mama Anna]

I'm listening in, too, in case anyone has something more to add.  My oldest dd has done/is doing R&S 3-6 and 7 is in my plans for next year.  I'm also interested in solid grammar for the sake of more easily learning other languages as well as a thorough writing program.  WTM says that if you use R&S all the way through, basic writing is covered.  (Obviously, the student writes across the curriculum as well.)  Is this true in your experience if you're using the higher levels of R&S?

 

(Hope that makes sense!)

 

Mama Anna

[hollyhock]

My reply may not help much because I have not used R&S 7. But my oldest and I are using 6 this year. He, too, is finding it "thick". There is soooo much to remember and he finds the explanations long-winded to the point where he gets lost and I have to sum up the gist of the lesson in a sentence or two, after which he says, "Why didn't they just say that?" Although I am understanding all the lessons myself, I don't remember it all and have forgotten some of the earlier lessons from the beginning of the year.

 

If R&S 7 is just more of the same and doesn't get more complicated, then perhaps we might have attempted it next year if 6 was going better. I've also heard that the 7th book is also where the series begins to focus much more on writing, and we haven't been using the writing lessons.

 

All that to say, I am changing to Climbing to Good English on Monday. The explanations are much more concise, it isn't so advanced and detailed, and I actually *really* like the writing lessons so we might do some of them as well. Also, my oldest likes workbooks so I think that will appeal to him.

 

So I guess I don't really have advice... but you aren't alone. :)

[Kel & the Kids]

Lots-o-rice, can I hijack my own thread (!) and ask how you are liking Christian Kids Explore Chemistry?  I'm thinking of using it next year, do I need a book for each child? (I can't figure it out from the site).

 

Thanks a ton! 

[Kel & the Kids]

My reply may not help much because I have not used R&S 7. But my oldest and I are using 6 this year. He, too, is finding it "thick". There is soooo much to remember and he finds the explanations long-winded to the point where he gets lost and I have to sum up the gist of the lesson in a sentence or two, after which he says, "Why didn't they just say that?" Although I am understanding all the lessons myself, I don't remember it all and have forgotten some of the earlier lessons from the beginning of the year.

 

If R&S 7 is just more of the same and doesn't get more complicated, then perhaps we might have attempted it next year if 6 was going better. I've also heard that the 7th book is also where the series begins to focus much more on writing, and we haven't been using the writing lessons.

 

All that to say, I am changing to Climbing to Good English on Monday. The explanations are much more concise, it isn't so advanced and detailed, and I actually *really* like the writing lessons so we might do some of them as well. Also, my oldest likes workbooks so I think that will appeal to him.

 

So I guess I don't really have advice... but you aren't alone. :)

thanks for replying - it's good to know I'm not alone!   I think R&S needs a big flow chart or something.  I think we're going to make a big poster to keep us all oriented to where we are along this road! I feel like we're lost in the details.  

 

Best of luck with Climbing on Monday.  We're having spring break on Monday, no Grammar for us in any program!

[lots-o-rice]

Hijack away. :)

you only need one book. (at least my edition is this way, I haven't looked to see if anything has changed in the 5 years since I bought it)  You can copy the student exercises and lab stuff.

I like it.  It is a gentle intro to science.  There are enough experiments to keep the kids interested, and you can make it as hard as you want to.  There are vocab words and little quizzes if you need that, or it works fine to not do them.  My youngest likes the coloring pages that go with the chapters.  It gives her something to do with her hands while I read.  

I do supplement with Bill Nye or Magic school bus videos now and again.

-K

[Narrow Gate Academy]

If you've used R&S English 7 can you tell me why we should use it next year? :)

 

My dd has done grades 3,5, and is working on 6 this year.  I'm not sure what to do for Grammar next year, if we need a change or what.  We're finding grade 6 pretty thick!  I have the grade 7 text and it looks a bit lighter to me but I don't know.  Are there great benefits we'll miss out on if we do Fix It or something else? 

 

Thanks in advance if you have any thoughts! 

R&S 7 does review concepts from 6, but with a lot less repetition than in books 4-6.  There are more advanced grammar concepts like noun clauses, substantives, verbals and more complex sentences with various types of phrases and clauses in the higher level books.  My oldest is in the 9th grade book currently, so I don't remember exactly in which book the topics are introduced.  It's all blurring together at the moment.

 

My reply may not help much because I have not used R&S 7. But my oldest and I are using 6 this year. He, too, is finding it "thick". There is soooo much to remember and he finds the explanations long-winded to the point where he gets lost and I have to sum up the gist of the lesson in a sentence or two, after which he says, "Why didn't they just say that?" Although I am understanding all the lessons myself, I don't remember it all and have forgotten some of the earlier lessons from the beginning of the year.

 

If R&S 7 is just more of the same and doesn't get more complicated, then perhaps we might have attempted it next year if 6 was going better. I've also heard that the 7th book is also where the series begins to focus much more on writing, and we haven't been using the writing lessons.

 

All that to say, I am changing to Climbing to Good English on Monday. The explanations are much more concise, it isn't so advanced and detailed, and I actually *really* like the writing lessons so we might do some of them as well. Also, my oldest likes workbooks so I think that will appeal to him.

 

So I guess I don't really have advice... but you aren't alone. :)

We don't actually read through the lesson explanations most of the time.  I use the lesson summary in margins of the teacher's book to cover the lessons and just point out one or two of the examples in the student text that go with each point.  For review lessons, I tend to assign either only some of the parts of the written practice or just the odd numbers. 

 

I'm not sure that the number of writing assignments increases, but there are more multi-lesson assignments where you pick and topic and take notes one lesson, write an outline another lesson, and then lessons to write the rough draft and to edit it.

 

"I think R&S needs a big flow chart or something.  I think we're going to make a big poster to keep us all oriented to where we are along this road!"

 

I've found it helps to memorize the definitions of the parts of speech as well as which questions are answered by adjectives and adverbs.  Other definitions to add as they get to them might include a phrase, a clause, a verbal, and a substantive.  I really don't care if they remember terms like gerund, participle, and infinitive as long as they recognize them to be a type of verbal and can determine what part of speech they are function as.  The same goes for the different types of clauses.  I also encourage the kids to follow the same pattern in diagramming sentences that is used in our Latin program for translating sentences.  Off the top of my head the chart would be something like:

 

1.  Find the main clause and locate the verb.

2.  Ask who or what to find the subject.

3.  For action verbs check for a direct object by saying subject + verb +who or what? or for linking verbs look for nouns that rename the subject or adjectives that describe it.

4.  If there is a direct object ask to or for whom or what to check for an indirect object.

5.  If it is a compound sentence repeat steps 1-4 with the second clause.

6.  Go back through the remaining words of each main clause to identify adjective or adverb words or phrases.

7.  Determine the parts of the dependent clauses using steps 1-6.

8.  Use the adjective and adverbs questions to determine how the clauses is being used in the sentence to correctly connect it.

 

I believe this is fairly similar to what is taught in R&S over the course of several books.  HTH

[JoJosMom]

Well, I am just finishing RS7 with ds#2.  To be honest, if your kid gets it, I'd move on.  If you think your kid  understands basic grammar and punctuation, I would just do Fix-it.

I think RS7 is just more of the same as RS6.  I have used RS for all my kids up through grade 7.  For us, it really isn't sticking well and transferring to daily writing assignments.   I have now figured out that my goal for grammar is that the kids can effectively proof-read their own writing.  I think my kids need the basic structural stuff from RS, but then we need straightforward practice using the information in real-life situations.  Most standardized tests really just want proofreading, not identifying independent clauses.  Just my opinion, right now, anyway.  

I have decided to do RS through 5th grade with ds#3 and then do more practicing and maybe Easy Grammar/Daily Grams. 

My oldest has done 2 years of Fix-it, and next year ds2 will start.  I have really like it.  It is great for real-life situations of using grammar.  Any time there is something ds is consistently not getting, I can find some extra instruction ideas on the internet, or just go back to that subject in an old RS book and do a few oral lessons.  

Again, this is just my experience.  I know a lot of people have great experience with all levels of RS.  

Good luck :)

K

 

A little OT-sorry OP!

 

I have no experience with RS, and this is not intended to be critical of those using it.  Just, in response the bolded bit above, we have used Analytical Grammar this year.  The program is divided into three "seasons," and we're partway through Season 2.  I have been AMAZED at my DD's level of retention.